Pouring spout



Jan. 24, 1967 CHMELA 3,300,106

POURING SPOUT Filed March 21, 1966 INVENTOQ JOHN F. CHMELA United States Patent Ofifice 3,300,106 Patented Jan. 24, 1967 3,300,106 POURING SPOUT John F. Chmela, Franklin Park, Ill., assignor to Antinsen Plastic Molding, Inc., Aurora, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 536,160 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-517) This invention relates to improvements in pouring spouts and is particularly concerned with the construction and assembly of a one-piece combination pouring spout and closure therefor.

More particularly, the pouring spout is fabricated from moldable plastic material, such for examples as polypropylene, into a cup-shaped body portion having means on its upper external periphery to facilitate its being thrust into and locked in a preformed opening in a container. The bottom wall of the cup-shaped body has a pouring opening therein. Integrally connected with one edge of said opening is one edge of a hinge element the opposed edge of which is integrally connected to a closure element. The closure element is positioned, when in closed position, to overlie the pouring opening and it lies normally substantially in the plane of the upper perimeter of the body. The closure element includes a tail or finger engageable extension which may be depressed downwardly into the body so as to cause the closure element to be raised to expose the pouring opening.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a pouring spout of the character referred to.

Another object is to provide a pouring spout with an integral hinge connected closure of novel construction.

Another and further object is to provide a pouring spout and closure therefor having a novel integral articulate hinge connection joining pouring spot and closure.

Still another object is to provide a one-piece molded plastic pouring spout and closure of novel construction.

Another and still further object is to provide a molded pouring spout with novel means to facilitate its attachment to a container.

Yet another object is to provide a combination pouring spout and closure which is not difli-cult or expensive to manufacture and which is very efficient in use.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pouring spout mounted on a container;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the pouring spout at the time of manufacture;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the pouring spout in condition of use;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom plane view of the pouring spout.

Referring to the exemplary disclosure of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the pouring spout, generally indicated at 11, is adapted to be mounted securely in an opening in a metal or paper container 12.

The pouring spout, which is fabricated, as by molding, in one piece from suitable plastic material, such as polypropylene, comprises a body portion 13 and a closure element 14. The body portion is substantially cup-shaped and includes a bottom wall 15, upsanding side walls 16, and upwardly outwardly inclined end walls 17. An external retaining flange 18 is provided on the upper margin of the perimeter wall and a series of upwardly outwardly inclined ribs 19 are formed on the external surfaces of the perimeter walls 16-17. These ribs 19 terminate in shoulders 21 spaced below the perimeter flange. The body is mounted in an opening in a container by being thrust thereinto a distance sufficiently to cause the marginal edges surrounding the container opening to seat in the gap between shoulders 21 and perimeter flange 18. This anchors the body securely in the container opening.

The bottom wall 15 terminates short of one end of the body to define therein a pouring opening 22 that is normally closed by the closure element 14.

The closure element 14 comprises a front portion 14a and a tail portion 1412. A hinge element 23 is integrally connected to the closure element at the juncture between the tail and front portions 14a and 14b, by means of a thin-walled flexible connecting web 24. The opposite, or lower end of the hinge element, is similarily connected to the opening edge of the bottom wall 15 by a thin-walled flexible connecting web 25. This assemblage constitutes an articulate hinge structure which includes a flange 26 integral with hinge element 23 and which underlies the tail portion 14b.

For purposes of manufacture, the closure element 14 and hinge element 23 are fabricated in the manner shown in FIG. 1. As there shown, the hinge element lies in the plane of bottom wall 15 whereas the closure element is substantially vertical. After molding, pressure is applied upwardly against the bottom face of hinge element 23 so as to urge it upwardly about hinge connection 25. This carries the closure element 14 upwardly therewith through the opening 22 into the position shown in FIG. 3. When so positioned, the side margins of the front portion 14a of the closure element rest upon shoulder 27 formed on the inside surfaces of the side walls 16 just below the top edge thereof. The hinge element 23 similarly seats against shoulders 28 on said walls. The closure element is now seated in closing position (FIG. 3).

In order to move the front portion 14a of the closure element out of closing position, the tail portion 14b is manually depressed. When depressed, it initially contacts flange 26 and subsequently urges said flange downwardly to cause the web 25 to flex, the assembly assuming a position substantially as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. When released, the hinge element and closure element return to their initial full line positions.

It should be noted that the closure element lies in a plane just below the top edge of the related perimeter walls 1617 and that the front portion 14a is of a size and shape to substantially contact the related inside surfaces of the perimeter wall. Similarly, the hinge element 23 is of sufficient width to bridge the opposed side walls of the body. Thus the hinge element and the closure element combine to close the pouring opening 22. If desired, friction ribs 29 may be formed on the top surface of tail portion 14b.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction shown and described.

I claim:

1. A pouring spout comprising a substantially cupshaped body having a bottom wall and a pouring opening in said bottom wall, a manually manipulatble closure element overlying said opening, an articulate hinge connecting one end of said closure element with one edge of said opening, and a finger engageable portion integral with the hingedly connected end of said closure element movable downwardly into the cup-shaped body for moving the closure element into an open position.

2. The pouring spout recited in claim 1, in which the hinge includes a resilient flange engageable by the finger engageable portion when the latter is in open position.

3. The pouring spout recited in claim 1, in which the body comprises a bottom wall and upwardly outwardly inclined end walls and side walls.

4. The pouring spout recited in claim 1, in which the articulate hinge comprises a plate-like structure hingedly connected integrally by thin wall connectors at on end to the bottom wall of the body and at its other end to said closure element.

5. The pouring spout recited in claim 1, in which the body is elongated and the pouring opening is at one end of the bottom wall.

6. The pouring spout recited in claim 1, in which the body is elongated and the pouring opening is adjacent to one end of the bottom wall and the finger engageable portion overlies the other end of the bottom wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT E. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

N. L. STACK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POURING SPOUT COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CUPSHAPED BODY HAVING A BOTTOM WALL AND A POURING OPENING IN SAID BOTTOM WALL, A MANUALLY MANIPULATBLE CLOSURE ELEMENT OVERLYING SAID OPENING, AN ARTICULATE HINGE CONNECTING ONE END OF A SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT WITH ONE EDGE OF SAID OPENING, AND A FINGER ENGAGEABLE PORTION INTEGRAL WITH THE HINGEDLY CONNECTED END OF SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT MOVABLE DOWNWARDLY INTO THE CUP-SHAPED BODY FOR MOVING THE CLOSURE ELEMENT INTO AN OPEN POSITION. 